Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 81: Longing for Return and Deep Feelings of Friendship (Please save and read!)

When the secretary entered Yingchun's room, she saw Yingchun sitting facing the morning light. The warm sunlight shone on her graceful and delicate body, emitting a soft and beautiful glow.

She was sewing a shoe upper, and judging by the style and size, it was a pair of men's boots.

The secretary stepped forward and stared at the needle and thread in Yingchun's hand: "Miss, are you making shoes for Master Cong again?"

Yingchun looked up and saw Shishu, she smiled slightly and said, "That's right, brother Cong has grown fast in the past two years, and his shoes are worn out."

Although Jia Cong was studying away from home these two years, he had Wu'er and Qingwen to take care of him. He also started a perfume business with Qu Hongxiu, so he had no shortage of money.

Life is now adequately fed and clothed, no longer as difficult as before, and the good life has also allowed me to grow up.

Every time he came home, Yingchun would see that he had grown taller and the shoes on his feet would become too small after half a year.

Yingchun has a gentle and docile personality. Although she was not abused like Jia Cong, her biological father and stepmother have always ignored her. The old lady kept her by her side for some fun.

Because both Yingchun's biological father and stepmother were not liked by Grandmother Jia, she did not value Yingchun as much as she did Tanchun.

Later, on the occasion of Lady Jia's 80th birthday, the Princess of Nan'an wanted to meet the girls from the Jia family.

Grandmother Jia called Baochai's sisters, Daiyu, Xiangyun, Tanchun and others out to meet people, but did not call Yingchun, which shows something about this.

Although Yingchun has the company of her sisters in the garden, she is actually quite lonely in her heart.

She always kept her younger brother Jia Cong in her heart, feeling somewhat of sympathy for him, and in recent years Jia Cong had been very close to her as his sister.

Every time he came home, he would come to his room to talk to him. The shoes and socks he wore were all made by Yingchun. She couldn't help her brother in anything else, so she could only do these small things.

Yingchun asked, "Why are you here so early in the morning instead of waiting on your young lady? Is there something wrong?"

The secretary said, "Our young lady asked me to tell you that the master sent a servant to the academy yesterday and asked the third master to come back to celebrate the old lady's birthday. The third master Cong can return home today."

Yingchun said happily, "That's great. I haven't seen Brother Cong for a few months. Last time he told me that he was going to take the college entrance examination. I don't know how he is doing."

……

When the secretary came out of Yingchun's room and returned to Tanchun's room, she saw her mistress arranging the rice paper on the desk.

"Shishu, it's hard to put the painting I wrote last month."

"It's in the painting box on the third shelf. Why are you looking for these words now?"

"Third brother is coming back home today. I will find out what I am most proud of and show it to him."

The secretary saw that her daughter had a smile on her face and seemed to be in a very good mood. She thought it must be because Third Master Cong had returned today.

Ever since the time in Dongluyuan, my daughter has gotten along well with this cousin, and is even closer to him than to Master Bao, who has the same father as her.

In recent years, Tanchun has become more charming and pretty, with slender shoulders and a thin waist, and a figure like a willow. The figure of the girl has become graceful, and her lively and graceful demeanor has begun to emerge.

In the past two years, every time Jia Cong returned home, he was always asked by Tanchun to teach him calligraphy. In his free time, he would copy Jia Cong's own calligraphy for his own entertainment, and he could actually copy it to about 70% of the original.

She is not as gentle and taciturn as Yingchun, nor as smart and reserved as Daiyu.

Only she and her cousin Jia Cong were the most generous and open-minded, had similar interests, and talked the most when they were together.

Every time Jia Cong came back, she would find her latest masterpiece and wait for him to review it.

……

In Daiyu's room, Zijuan saw her daughter taking out the letter that Mr. Cong Sanye had asked someone to bring a few days ago. Her daughter had read this letter countless times.

Every time I read it, I flipped through the books on the shelf and couldn't help but feel curious.

Then Daiyu copied the letter neatly and put the original manuscript in her dressing box.

At this time, Baoyu came in, wearing a purple gold crown inlaid with jewels on his hair, a moon-white suit with flowery and silver-patterned sword sleeves, and a silk palace belt with long tassels and flowers, still looking like a wealthy young man.

Seeing Daiyu flipping through a book on the desk, he smiled and asked, "Sister, you are so hardworking. What new book are you reading? Bring it to me to have a look." Ever since that year when Baoyu smashed the jade and made Daiyu so angry that she vomited blood, Daiyu didn't speak to Baoyu for a long time.

Tired Big-Faced Bao often went to Daiyu's room to beg for mercy. After all, they were cousins ​​who grew up together. It was only after a long time that the two began to talk to each other.

In the past two years, Sister Lin has grown up and become more and more beautiful day by day. She has a fairy-like appearance and a graceful figure, and Grandmother Jia loves her very much.

Although there are many outstanding sisters in the garden, in Baoyu's heart, all the essence and beauty in the world belong to Sister Lin, and there is no one more lovable than Sister Lin.

But in the past two years, Baoyu clearly felt that Lin Daiyu was different from before. She was not as kind to him as she was when they were children, and she always seemed distant.

When I went to her room to talk, my sister was always busy reading, and the two of us would just stay there after a few words.

Only when she was with her sisters did Lin Daiyu talk more, and her conversation returned to its former state.

This made Baoyu very depressed, but after that time when he made Lin Daiyu vomit blood in anger, he never dared to lose his temper in front of her again.

I really have no place to vent my complaints, and I often feel melancholy alone.

But when Mrs. Wang found out later, she felt that it was not a bad thing and she told Baoyu several times that now that the sisters in the family were grown up, they should be more well-behaved and not act like they did when they were little.

As usual, Big Face Bao was sad about the passing of time, but he had no choice but to do so.

……

Baoyu saw a piece of rice paper on Daiyu's desk covered with words.

Curious, he stepped forward and read: "For a gentleman, learning is about having the right character and must fully realize the truth. Without the right character, what he has learned cannot be solid. And if the truth is not fully realized, how can he achieve success..."

It looks familiar, but I can't remember where it came from.

In the past two years, he had only been to the Imperial College less than ten times. He had memorized all the university knowledge once, but after a while he had forgotten half of it.
Although Jia Zheng disciplined him strictly, it was like a broken gong with little effect.

When Baoyu saw Daiyu holding a copy of the Analects of Confucius and reading it carefully, his face turned a little stiff.

What's wrong with Lin Daiyu now? Such a fairy-like figure should read some poems about wearing flowers in her hair and reciting poems about snow. Why is she reading such dirty books about fame and fortune?

I felt a little depressed, as if the world was so vast and my confidants were so far away. I stood there in a daze for a while.

If he had read more carefully, he would not be so careless. He would have seen that what Daiyu wrote on the paper was an eight-part essay with the title "The Analects of Confucius".

Two years passed, and Baoyu remained the same. Apart from learning more delicate girls' sorrows of passing away, he knew nothing else.

When Daiyu saw Baoyu standing beside her, she felt a little frightened as if he were hysterical again.

"Baoyu, I'm tired and need to rest for a while. You go play with the other sisters first."

Daiyu heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Baoyu leave in a daze. However, she did not go to rest and continued to read the annotated version of the Analects in her hand.

Zijuan, who was standing by, was a little curious and asked, "I don't know how many times you have read this letter from Master Cong San, and you even copied it out. What exactly is written on it?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "The letter from Third Brother Cong contains the eight-part essay he wrote during the college entrance examination."

Zijuan was surprised to hear this, and the Third Master was also puzzled. When sending a letter to the girl, he did not write anything else but only sent her his college entrance examination essay. The girl was not afraid of being bored and read it with great interest.

Zijuan smiled and said, "Young lady, you are so knowledgeable. After reading the article written by Third Master, is it good or not? Can you pass the imperial examination this time?"

“I also read the Four Books when I was young. Although I am not as proficient as Third Brother Cong, I have read a lot of contemporary essays written by my father, and I have read the Annotations to the Analects of Confucius in detail in the past few days.

Comparing the two, Third Brother's article is very well written, and he will definitely be able to get the title of a scholar!"

Zijuan saw that her daughter's eyes were shining brightly when she spoke, and her expression was full of pride, as if she herself had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar.

Zijuan has been observing carefully for the past two years. She knew that the girl vomited blood that year, not only because Master Bao was angry with her, but also because Master Bao's words touched the girl's heart.

From that moment on, the girl lost her heart. Or maybe she had lost it before, but she didn't even know it.

(End of this chapter)